Hirito's Perspective
The moment I heard her answer, I knew I was dealing with someone completely different from any monster I had fought before.
She stood several meters away from me on the rooftop, perfectly calm despite the destruction surrounding us. The fading evening light reflected against her mismatched eyes, one gold and the other violet, giving her an appearance that was difficult to read.
There was something unsettling about the way she looked at me.
She wasn't frightened.
She wasn't angry.
She wasn't even particularly hostile.
If anything, she looked entertained.
The wind swept across the rooftop, carrying dust and the faint smell of paint through the air. Her strangely colored hair fluttered behind her. Under the dimming sky, every strand seemed to contain a different color—red, blue, yellow, green, violet, orange, and countless shades in between.
It was almost as if someone had taken every color imaginable and woven them together.
I slowly straightened myself.
Behind me, the remains of the colorful projectile that had struck the rooftop were still splattered across the concrete. The impact had left a shallow crater surrounded by cracks.
I looked at the girl again.
There was no doubt about it.
This was the same girl I had encountered at school.
The girl with the mismatched eyes.
The girl who had escaped me.
And now, somehow, she had appeared directly between me and Shina.
That couldn't possibly be a coincidence.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Who are you?"
The girl tilted her head.
For several seconds, she simply stared at me.
Then a small smile appeared beneath her mask.
"I'm the Paintress."
Paintress.
The name immediately connected several pieces of information in my mind.
The graffiti.
The vandalism.
The strange paintings appearing throughout Tokyo.
The monsters that had emerged from those paintings.
All of it suddenly seemed connected.
I clenched my fists.
"So you're the one responsible for all of this?"
The Paintress giggled softly.
"Responsible?"
She slowly raised one hand, as though considering the word.
"That's such an interesting way of putting it."
Her fingers reached toward her hair.
I immediately became more alert.
Something metallic was hidden among the colorful strands.
She carefully pulled it free.
At first, I assumed it was another weapon.
But when she revealed it completely, I realized what it was.
A paintbrush.
It was far from an ordinary paintbrush.
Its handle was long and elegant, almost resembling a finely crafted wand. The bristles shimmered with several different colors, even though there was no visible paint covering them.
The Paintress casually held it between her fingers.
"I simply create."
My expression hardened.
"Create?"
She smiled.
"And my master gives my creations purpose."
My eyes narrowed.
"Master?"
So there really was someone behind her.
Someone who had given her orders.
Someone who had a reason for targeting the Essences.
Before I could ask another question, the Paintress suddenly lifted her brush.
The movement was almost graceful.
She swept the brush through the air.
There was no canvas.
No paper.
No paint.
Nothing that should have allowed her to draw.
Yet the moment the brush completed its first stroke, a black line appeared in midair.
I stared.
Another line formed.
Then another.
The invisible surface of the air seemed to become a canvas beneath her brush.
The lines connected.
They expanded.
And within seconds, the shape became unmistakable.
A cage.
A massive black metal cage appeared directly in front of the Paintress.
The bars were thick and dark, while strange markings covered the metal. It looked almost as though it had been pulled from some enormous prison and dropped onto the rooftop.
My eyes widened.
"What the—?!"
The Paintress flicked her wrist.
The cage suddenly launched toward me.
I barely had time to react.
"Shadow Cloak!"
Darkness exploded across my body.
My physical form dissolved into shadows just before the cage reached me.
The enormous structure passed directly through my shadowy body.
BOOM!
It slammed into the rooftop behind me.
The concrete cracked beneath its weight, sending dust and fragments scattering across the ground.
I reformed several meters away and immediately turned around.
The cage remained embedded in the rooftop.
For a moment, I simply stared at it.
Then I released a small breath.
"That was close."
Ryuhou's voice echoed through my mind.
Ryuhou: Don't underestimate her.
I kept my eyes on the Paintress.
"I wasn't planning to."
The Paintress smiled.
"Interesting."
She lifted her brush once again.
"You can turn yourself into a shadow."
Her brush began moving.
This time, several circles appeared in the air.
One.
Two.
Three.
Then dozens.
Each circle expanded rapidly until it became a floating sphere filled with brightly colored liquid.
I immediately recognized what she was preparing.
My expression darkened.
"You're kidding me."
The Paintress swept her brush forward.
"Paint Bullet."
The spheres launched.
They came from every direction.
Some flew directly toward me.
Others curved through the air, approaching from my sides and behind me.
I immediately activated my ability.
"Shadow Cloak!"
Darkness spread across my body.
My physical form disappeared into the shadows.
The first projectile passed through me.
Then another.
Then another.
I smirked.
"Too slow."
Then—
SPLAT!
A paint sphere struck my shoulder.
My eyes widened.
"What?!"
Another projectile slammed into my side.
SPLAT!
Then another struck my chest.
SPLAT!
The shadow surrounding my body immediately flickered.
My form became unstable.
"What happened?!"
Ryuhou's voice answered at once.
Ryuhou: The paint disrupted your Shadow Cloak!
I looked down.
My black suit was covered in brightly colored paint.
Red.
Blue.
Yellow.
Purple.
Green.
The colors weren't simply sitting on my clothes.
They were spreading.
The strange paint crawled across my arms and torso, weighing down my movements and interfering with the shadows surrounding my body.
I clenched my teeth.
The Paintress giggled.
"My paint can interact with your shadows."
She lowered her brush slightly.
"That's why your little trick didn't work."
I stared at the paint covering me.
Then I looked back at her.
"So that's your ability."
She smiled.
"One of them."
My eyes narrowed.
One of them?
Before I could question her, she began drawing again.
This time, she dragged her brush through the air in a long, sweeping motion.
A thin line appeared.
The line twisted.
Curved.
Then stretched outward.
It began taking the shape of a rope.
The moment she finished the drawing, the painted line solidified.
A real rope appeared in her hand.
My eyes widened.
The Paintress immediately swung it toward me.
I tried to move.
But the paint covering my body had already begun interfering with my movements.
The rope wrapped around my torso.
I grabbed it with both hands.
"Let go!"
The Paintress didn't answer.
Instead, she grabbed the opposite end.
Then she spun.
Once.
Twice.
The rope tightened around me.
My feet slowly left the ground.
"Wait—!"
She released it.
My body was hurled across the rooftop.
The city blurred around me as I flew through the air.
A moment later, my back slammed into the wall of a nearby building.
BOOM!
The impact shook the wall.
Dust and fragments of concrete fell around me.
I dropped to one knee.
Pain spread through my side.
I took a breath and slowly raised my head.
The Paintress was still standing where I had been.
Calm.
Composed.
Smiling.
Watching me.
"You're stronger than I expected."
I wiped some of the paint from my cheek.
"Thanks."
I slowly pushed myself back onto my feet.
"But you're still not getting past me."
The Paintress's smile widened.
"That's where you're wrong."
She pointed her brush toward the distant street.
My eyes followed the direction of the brush.
Far away, flashes of white light illuminated the buildings.
Shina.
The Paintress looked toward the battlefield.
"I'm not trying to get past you."
My expression changed.
She turned her mismatched eyes back toward me.
"I'm keeping you away from her."
My eyes widened.
So that's it.
She hadn't simply attacked me because she wanted the Essence of Shadow.
She had deliberately intercepted me.
She knew I was heading toward Shina.
And she had been waiting for me.
"You're separating us."
The Paintress giggled.
"Exactly."
I clenched my fists.
Then a tremendous crash echoed through the city.
My head snapped toward the distant street.
"Shina!"
The Paintress smiled.
"Don't worry."
She raised her brush.
"I'll make sure you never reach her."
My expression hardened.
I had to get past her.
Whatever she was planning, I couldn't allow her to interfere with Shina.
But before I could move, the Paintress swung her brush again.
The colorful paint scattered across the rooftop began to move.
My eyes narrowed.
Something was happening.
And judging by the smile on her face, it was exactly what she wanted.
Hina's Perspective
I swung my arm forward.
A bright sphere of light shot from my hand and streaked across the battlefield.
BOOM!
It struck one of the paint monsters directly.
The creature's body exploded into a massive splash of colorful paint.
For a brief moment, I thought I had defeated it.
Then the paint moved.
My eyes widened.
The scattered pieces of the creature began crawling across the ground.
The colorful liquid gathered together.
But instead of reforming into a single monster, the paint divided.
One mass became two.
Two became four.
Four became even more.
I stared in disbelief as the number of creatures around me continued increasing.
"You're kidding me..."
The monsters slowly advanced.
Their bodies looked crude and strange, almost like doodles that had somehow escaped from the pages of a child's notebook.
Some had enormous arms.
Others had oversized feet.
Several possessed strange horns and exaggerated faces.
Their appearances were almost ridiculous.
But their strength was anything but.
One of them suddenly charged.
I immediately jumped backward.
Its enormous fist slammed into the ground where I had been standing.
BOOM!
Concrete cracked beneath the impact.
I swallowed nervously.
I had already discovered something important.
I could destroy them.
But destroying them didn't necessarily make the situation better.
Every time I defeated one, its body separated into smaller creatures.
The more I fought...
The more enemies appeared.
I looked around.
They were everywhere.
In front of me.
Behind me.
On the surrounding rooftops.
Even crawling along the walls of nearby buildings.
"How am I supposed to fight this many?!"
Ryuna's voice answered inside my mind.
Ryuna: Shina, don't panic!
"I'm trying!"
Another monster charged.
I ducked beneath its arm.
The creature's fist slammed into a building behind me.
BOOM!
Dust fell from the wall.
I immediately jumped away.
Another creature attacked from the side.
I barely managed to avoid its claws.
Then another came from behind.
I spun around and released a light orb.
"Celestial Light Manipulation!"
The glowing sphere struck the monster directly.
BOOM!
It burst apart.
But once again, the scattered paint began moving.
My heart sank.
More creatures emerged from the remains.
"There are even more now!"
Ryuna became silent for a moment.
Then she answered.
Ryuna: Your attacks are destroying their forms, but the paint itself remains!
I jumped backward as several creatures rushed toward me.
"Shina: Then what am I supposed to do?!"
Ryuna: You need to find another way!
I narrowly dodged another attack.
"Shina: That's not exactly helpful!"
I couldn't help but feel frustrated.
My breathing was becoming heavier.
My arms were beginning to ache.
I wasn't trained for something like this.
That was the problem.
I had power.
I had abilities.
But having power wasn't the same thing as knowing how to use it properly.
When I had fought the Razorblade monster, I had relied heavily on my instincts and the opportunities Hirito had created.
But this was different.
There were too many enemies.
They were attacking from every direction.
And unlike Hirito, I didn't have an ability specifically designed to deal with a large number of opponents.
My Celestial Light Manipulation allowed me to fire powerful spheres of light.
It was useful.
But against an army that multiplied whenever I destroyed them, it wasn't enough.
I jumped onto a nearby wall and pushed myself away just as several paint creatures slammed into it.
BOOM!
The wall shook.
I landed on the street and immediately regained my balance.
The civilians I had rescued earlier were already far away.
That was the important thing.
They were safe.
As long as they remained safe, I could keep fighting.
I looked down the street.
Smoke and dust drifted between the buildings.
Police sirens echoed in the distance.
The city around me had become a battlefield.
I tightened my hands.
"I just need to keep them away from the civilians."
I took a deep breath.
"That's all."
A massive paint creature suddenly charged.
I raised my arm.
"Celestial Light Manipulation!"
Several glowing spheres formed around me.
They floated for a moment, illuminating the surrounding street with brilliant white light.
I fired them one after another.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Several monsters were struck and thrown backward.
But once again, their bodies splattered apart.
I watched helplessly as the paint spread across the ground.
Then something changed.
The scattered paint began moving toward one another.
I froze.
The surrounding monsters suddenly stopped.
Their bodies began glowing.
"What are they doing?"
Ryuna didn't answer immediately.
Then her voice suddenly became alarmed.
Ryuna: Shina... get back!
"What?"
The glowing paint began rising from the ground.
The creatures were being pulled toward one another.
Their bodies collided.
Arms fused together.
Legs merged.
Bodies stretched upward.
The individual monsters became one enormous mass of living paint.
The ground trembled beneath my feet.
I instinctively stepped backward.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
A gigantic fist slammed into the street.
I jumped backward just before the impact reached me.
A powerful shockwave tore through the area.
Dust and loose debris were thrown into the air.
I struggled to maintain my balance as the pavement shook beneath my feet.
Then I looked up.
My eyes widened.
The monsters were gone.
In their place stood something enormous.
A gigantic golem made entirely from paint towered above the street.
Its massive body rose high above the surrounding buildings.
Its shoulders were broad.
Its arms were enormous.
Its hands were large enough to crush a car.
Its surface constantly shifted between different colors.
Red flowed into blue.
Blue mixed with yellow.
Purple streaked across its chest.
Green dripped from its enormous hands.
The creature's face was crude, almost like a drawing made by a child.
But its glowing eyes were anything but childish.
They were fixed directly on me.
I slowly stepped backward.
"Ryuna..."
Ryuna: I know.
I looked up at the enormous creature.
"Shina: That's..."
My voice caught for a moment.
"...a lot bigger than the others."
The paint golem raised one enormous arm.
Its shadow fell across the street.
My heart began pounding.
The golem suddenly roared.
The sound echoed through the streets of Tokyo.
Windows rattled.
Cars shook.
People who had been watching from a distance immediately began running for safety.
I raised both hands.
White light gathered around my palms.
I couldn't retreat.
I couldn't abandon the city.
And somewhere nearby—
Hirito was supposed to be coming.
I didn't know what was keeping him away.
I didn't know about the Paintress.
I didn't know that he had been deliberately intercepted by an enemy who understood exactly how dangerous we were together.
All I knew was that I was standing alone against something enormous.
I took a deep breath.
Then I stepped forward.
"Fine."
The white glow surrounding my body intensified.
"If you want to fight me..."
I raised my hands toward the towering monster.
"...then I'll fight you."
The paint golem raised its enormous fist.
I gathered more light into my hands.
Neither of us moved.
For a brief moment, the entire battlefield seemed to hold its breath.
Then the golem roared again.
The battle between Light and the Painted Giant was about to begin.
And somewhere above the city, hidden among the rooftops, a pair of mismatched eyes watched the entire scene unfold.
The Paintress stood silently with her brush resting against her shoulder.
Her multicolored hair moved gently in the evening wind.
A satisfied smile appeared across her face.
"Just as my master predicted."
She slowly rotated the brush between her fingers.
Her golden and violet eyes remained fixed on Shina.
"Let's see how long the Vessel of Light can last without her shadow."